Evaluation of thiamine as adjunctive therapy in COVID-19 critically ill patients: a two-center propensity score matched study.

BACKGROUND: Thiamine is a precursor of the essential coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate required for glucose metabolism; it improves the immune system function and has shown to reduce the risk of several diseases. The role of thiamine in critically ill septic patient has been addressed in multiple studies; however, it's role in COVID-19 patients is still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of thiamine as an adjunctive therapy on mortality in COVID-19 critically ill patients. METHODS: This is a two-center, non-interventional, retrospective cohort study for critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID19. All patients aged 18 years or older admitted to ICUs between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, with positive PCR COVID-19 were eligible for inclusion. We investigated thiamine use as an adjunctive therapy on the clinical outcomes in critically ill COVID-19 patients after propensity score matching. RESULTS: A total of 738 critically ill patients with COVID-19 who had been admitted to ICUs were included in the study. Among 166 patients matched using the propensity score method, 83 had received thiamine as adjunctive therapy. There was significant association between thiamine use with in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.39; 95% CI 0.19-0.78; P value = 0.008) as well as the 30-day mortality (OR = 0.37; 95% CI 0.18-0.78; P value = 0.009). Moreover, patients who received thiamine as an adjunctive therapy were less likely to have thrombosis during ICU stay [OR (95% CI) 0.19 (0.04-0.88), P value = 0.03]. CONCLUSION: Thiamine use as adjunctive therapy may have potential survival benefits in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Additionally, it was associated with a lower incidence of thrombosis. Further interventional studies are required to confirm these findings.

Risk factors, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and patient outcomes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection: A matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading nosocomial Gram-negative bacteria associated with prolonged hospitalization, and increased morbidity and mortality. Limited data exist regarding P. aeruginosa infection and outcome in patients managed in intensive care units (ICUs) in the Gulf countries. We aimed to determine the risk factors, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and patient outcomes of P. aeruginosa infection in ICU. METHODS: In this matched case-control study, all P. aeruginosa infections that occurred >48 h after hospital admission between January 31st 2016 and December 31st 2018 at ICUs affiliated with King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh were included. P. aeruginosa was identified using MALDI-TOF (Vitek-MS) by biomérieux, and the antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using an automated biomérieux VITEK®ï¸ 2 Antimicrobial Susceptibility card. RESULTS: The study included 90 cases and 90 controls. Compared with controls, cases had significantly higher mean ICU stay and higher proportions with previous history of antimicrobial therapy, coronary artery disease, malignancy, hemodialysis, previous surgery, use of central line, urethral catheterization, nasogastric tube, and tracheostomy. In a multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis, factors independently associated with P. aeruginosa infection were ICU duration [Odds Ratio (OR) 9.05, 95%CI 2.53-32.27, p = .001], previous surgery (OR = 7.33, 95%CI 1.66-32.36, p = .009), tracheostomy (OR = 11.13, 95%CI 1.05-118.59, p = .046), urethral catheterization (OR = 7.38, 95%CI 1.21-45.11, p = .030) and use of aminoglycosides (OR = 10.59, 95%CI 1.14-98.13, p = .038). Approximately 41% of P. aeruginosa isolates were resistant to imipenem, while 36.7% were multidrug-resistant. Mortality was similar in both groups: 54(60%) cases and 51(56.7%) controls; p = .650. CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies several potentially modifiable factors associated with P. aeruginosa infection in ICUs. Identification of these factors could facilitate case identification and enhance control measures.

Comparison of argatroban and fondaparinux for the management of patients with isolated heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious complication of the administration of heparin and its derivatives. Non-heparin anticoagulants such as argatroban and fondaparinux are widely used in the management of HIT to compare the effectiveness of argatroban and fondaparinux in the resolution of thrombocytopenia and to compare clinical outcomes in patients with isolated HIT. A retrospective cohort analysis was performed at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) on patients diagnosed with isolated HIT between 31 Jan, 2014 and 30 June, 2017. Demographics data, non-heparin anticoagulants, related laboratory results, and clinical outcomes were retrieved and analysed. The cohort comprised a total of 95 adult patients who received either argatroban (56 patients) or fondaparinux (39 patients) for isolated HIT. The median age and sex distribution were similar in both argatroban and fondaparinux groups. The mean (+ SD) time (in days) for the resolution of thrombocytopenia was 3.5 (± 1.8) for patients who received argatroban and 3.7 (± 1.7) for patients administered fondaparinux (p = 0.843). Thromboembolic events occurred in five patients (8.9%) administered argatroban and in three patients (7.7%) administered fondaparinux (p = 0.382). There was no significant difference in the rates of bleeding or death (p = 0.829); however, the small number of cases limits our ability to draw conclusions about these outcomes. In this retrospective study, fondaparinux and argatroban were similarly effective in resolving thrombocytopenia, preventing further thromboembolic events, and maintaining safety in patients with confirmed HIT. To confirm this observation, larger prospective studies are needed.

Is low serum albumin level a significant predictor for the development of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia-thrombosis?

The present study investigates the effect of albumin levels in patients who have developed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia-thrombosis (HITT). A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted at King Abudlaziz Medical City (KAMC), a university teaching hospital, on patients diagnosed with HIT between June 2013 and December 2014. Clinical and laboratory findings were used to confirm HIT. Albumin levels were reported on admission as baseline and during HIT occurrence. Twenty-eight patients were identified as HIT positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with a cutoff value of ≥1 optical density units and pretest probability "4Ts" score of ≥4. Of the 28 patients, nine (32%) developed HITT. Demographic characteristics of the patients who developed HIT and HITT were similar. The mean albumin level for patients who developed HITT was significantly lower than that for patients who developed HIT (p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that patients with low serum albumin levels are at greater risk of developing HITT. This finding awaits confirmation in larger prospective clinical trials.

Over-the-counter antibiotics in Saudi Arabia, an urgent call for policy makers.

Antibiotics over-consumption is a pandemic that has a tremendous cost on the overwhelmed healthcare system. The accessibility of antibiotics coupled with the misconception of public toward those drugs both of which implicated in the use and misuse of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of the community toward antibiotics, its purpose and harmfulness, in addition to the accessibility of those drugs as over the counter and without prescriptions. We also investigated the behavior toward antibiotic prescriptions when perceived unnecessary. This is a cross-sectional study in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia based upon a structured self-administered questionnaire. The study included 473 individuals with a mean age of 27 years old. Forty eight percent (n=227) of the participants obtain antibiotics without prescriptions. Ninety two percent (n=208) of those noted pharmacist counseling as their method of acquisition. Self-prescription noted in 8.4% (n=19). Viral illnesses accounted for the highest percentage for seeking antibiotics in 35.5% (n=166) more commonly among females. Thirty one point eight percent (n=149) used antibiotics for analgesia while 13.7% (n=64) believed in their prophylactic use. We also noted that the prevalence of sharing antibiotics is 19.7%. The perceived unnecessary prescriptions uncovered 122 of the participants who reported throwing the prescribed antibiotics away after acquisition. Dispensing antibiotics without prescription is an issue that mandates a political intervention and implementation of the existing laws that prohibit dispensing without proper prescription. We advocate public health measures targeting both healthcare providers and the public on the use and misuse of antibiotics.

Reliability and validity of the faculty evaluation instrument used at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences: Results from the Haematology Course.

OBJECTIVE: To assess reliability and validity of evaluation tool using Haematology course as an example. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University of Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2012, while data analysis was completed in 2013. The 27-item block evaluation instrument was developed by a multidisciplinary faculty after a comprehensive literature review. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed using principal component analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalisation. Identified factors were combined to get the internal consistency reliability of each factor. Student's t-test was used to compare mean ratings between male and female students for the faculty and block evaluation. RESULTS: Of the 116 subjects in the study, 80(69%) were males and 36(31%) were females. Reliability of the questionnaire was Cronbach's alpha 0.91. Factor analysis yielded a logically coherent 7 factor solution that explained 75% of the variation in the data. The factors were group dynamics in problem-based learning (alpha0.92), block administration (alpha 0.89), quality of objective structured clinical examination (alpha 0.86), block coordination (alpha 0.81), structure of problem-based learning (alpha 0.84), quality of written exam (alpha 0.91), and difficulty of exams (alpha0.41). Female students' opinion on depth of analysis and critical thinking was significantly higher than that of the males (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The faculty evaluation tool used was found to be reliable, but its validity, as assessed through factor analysis, has to be interpreted with caution as the responders were less than the minimum required for factor analysis.

Is the incidence trend of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia decreased by the increased use of low-molecular-weight-heparin?

BACKGROUND: The increasing trend of using low-molecular-weight-heparin (LMWH) versus unfractionated heparin (UFH) in hospitalized adult patients is raising concerns about the incidence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). METHOD: A retrospective study analyzed the requests for heparin-induced antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) among adult hospitalized patients during the period from January 2011 to December 2013. These patients received either UFH or LMWH for prevention or therapeutic indications. Those with positive immune-mediated HIT were identified and considered as case patients. RESULT: The usage of LMWH and UFH and development of HIT was determined during the study period. The incidence of HIT in patients receiving UFH and those receiving LMWH was 4.09 per thousand patients and 0.48 per thousand patients, respectively, (p<0.0001) with an overall incidence of 2.49 per thousand patients. CONCLUSION: The increased trend of using LMWH over UFH among hospitalized adult patients was observed and can be said to contribute to the diminished overall incidence of HIT.

Pharmacotherapy of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: therapeutic options and challenges in the clinical practices.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune response to heparin associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients if unidentified as soon as possible, owing to thromboembolic complications involving both arterial and venous systems. Early diagnoses based on a comprehensive interpretation of clinical and laboratory information improves clinical outcomes. Management principles of strongly suspected HIT should not be delayed for laboratory result confirmation. Treatment strategies have been introduced including new, safe, and effective agents. This review summarizes the clinical therapeutic options for HIT addressing the use of parenteral direct thrombin inhibitors and indirect factor Xa inhibitors as well as the potential non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants.